Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Well, that would be Rachael Rabbit. Why you ask? Well, not only is she well ahead of our Alabama Stitch Swap deadline of July 30th (I know- it snuck up!) but she also rocked my boring Friday when I opened up the package.

I am sure all you stitchers can admire the fine stitchery. Let me tell you something the photos can't about Mr. Bunny here- he is oh-so soft. The cotton jersey stuffed with batting makes him so squishy and soft.

His face is so precious. But wait...

His little bum is ever cuter.

And there is more... A little stitch book for needles and such. And guess what- it is also super soft. There must be a fine batting inside because it has a bit of pumf to it.

I tell ya though- I am feeling a bit not worthy right now. I also choose to do the bunny project for Rachael (see she likes bunnies!), but my stitches are looking a bit large right now. He is cute still (my bunny for her), but my hand stitching work may not be as fine. He'll be making his appearance next week...

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Inside my cherished vintage dishes I keep things that I've gathered. I have always been one of those kids with their pockets full of funny shaped rocks and sticks. While I still pick up rocks that catch my eyes, I tend to have buttons and bits of other things these days.

Here is a little link love, because while I may have be slow crafting this summer- it is really just because I am saving all my creativity up for an end of summer fall blast.

The silky flowers in my dishes were made using a tutorial from the Foundling

My pre-ordered book on making prints on fabric is on its way to me! Written by Lena Corwin.

My fussy new "used" sewing machine that I wrote about recently broke the feed gears. I was feeling pretty good about finding replacement parts, but I'll be darned if my father and I can fine tune it correctly. Yup, believe it or not- I may be on the hunt for another used machine. Yet again. Or I just might bite the bullet and pay the $70 to have it serviced.

My progress of the what a bunch of squares quilt isn't bad though. It is all stitched together and just needs a back and some hand stitching to finish her off.

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Yup, it just feels so weird writing that. I found this little quote from Laird Hamilton and it makes me feel pretty damned good about trying my hand at some things lately that I am not quite the best at.

"We are each our own greatest inhibitor. People don't want to do new things if they think they're going to be bad at them or people are going to laugh at them.

You have to be willing to subject yourself to failure, to be bad, to fall on your head and do it again, and try stuff that you've never done in order to be the best you can be... In the end if you're still just there, doing it, you win."

Thursday, July 3, 2008

I am thrilled. Thrilled the holiday weekend is upon us. Thrilled that it is my birthday this weekend. Thrilled to be taking photos of things, sewing a bit, racing my mountain bike, and of course whittling time into to pat Misty's belly and take her on long walks in the woods.

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

I've been very into fabric printing currently. I started using contact paper for stencils. They only last for a half dozen to a dozen prints, but they do stick nicely to the fabric. I've been using salvaged linen- just pieces I have cut from things. I love that it is both cheap and green to use what you have or can save from the dumpster.

This first print is from Lotta Jansdotter's book on printing. I used a metallic fabric paint from Michael's craft store.

This next one is of my own design. Birch trees on a natural linen color. I used plain black paint for this piece.

I plan to work these fabrics into a quilt. I initially started printing wanting to make a version of What a Bunch of Square quilt by Denyse Schmidt. I still might do that, but the birch fabric has me leaning in a different direction now.

I found this swatch swap online and it looks like a great idea for anyone else interested in printing. My prints are still very experimental right now so I decided to hold off on any swapping.

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Very pleased that this quilt will be wrapped up shortly. Based off of Denyse Schmidt's What a Bunch of Squares. I used scrap fabrics and what I had to make it. I haven't sewn the blocks together yet so the layout might change slightly.

Of course I had a little animal help with the layout.

"oh, I am sorry. You wanted to take my photo?"

"why, let me come over so that you can see my furry fineness a bit closer."

"I am capable of moving fast, but not today, not during the day at least."

"While I am making my way over here, you should know that you really must clean up this clutter if you are taking photos of me."